Search Manager

Search Manager might look like a great tool, but our malware analysts classify it as a potentially unwanted program or, in short, a PUP. This program has been given this category because, in some cases, computer users might install it by accident and along with more malicious, unreliable programs. Are you unsure about the existence of third-party malware? If you are, we advise running a malware scanner to help you identify which unreliable programs are active on your PC. Unfortunately, depending on the installer you use, malware could be installed silently, which is why you should run a scanner even if you think that your operating system is clean from other threats. If you discover malware, we suggest focusing on it first. If your main concern is the potentially unwanted program, continue reading this report, and you will learn how to remove Search Manager quickly and successfully.

The suspicious Search Manager is a Chrome extension that is available for downloading at searchmgr.com and chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/search-manager/bahkljhhdeciiaodlkppoonappfnheoi. Whether you install this program from the Chrome Web Store or its official website, you will be provided with the same installer. Unfortunately, many computer users install this program packaged with other programs. It was also found that it can be promoted via pop-ups found on filewin.com, malavida.es, and other unreliable websites that are known for promoting malicious infections. All in all, regardless of how you install this program, it will modify your New Tab on Google Chrome to provide you with a three-way search tool. This search tool is meant to help you navigate Google, Bing, and Yahoo search engines, and it does work as promised. However, besides this, it also changes the search engine to srch.bar, which is why some users identify it as a browser hijacker. This search tool automatically redirects to Yahoo, which raises the question of why the search engine is not changed to search.yahoo.com in the first place. Well, the developer of this hijacker earns money for redirecting you to this search engine.

The permissions you give Search Manager when you install it onto Chrome:

When installing Search Manager, you will be introduced to a list of permissions. According to these permissions, you allow the PUP to modify search settings, track information, change bookmarks, and even manage the content on your browser. Needless to say, some of these permissions are quite suspicious. For example, why does this PUP need to modify your bookmarks? This is quite surprising, unlike the collection of data regarding your virtual activity. This data is recorded to analyze how you use software and interact with the content provided. Tracking cookies are employed to record this information, but, according to the Privacy Policy, it is not shared with third parties, which is good news. Of course, this kind of activity is quite intrusive, and it makes perfect sense if you want to delete Search Manager from your operating system. After all, this extension does not actually provide highly beneficial services. You can easily switch between different search tools using your own browser, and any additional extensions are not that crucial.

Do you know your way around Google Chrome? If you do, you must know that you can easily eliminate unwanted extensions from the chrome://extensions menu. This method is so simple that we do not feel the need to explain the steps in any detail. The removal method we suggest is just as easy; however, it requires you to find the folder carrying the files of the PUP. “bahkljhhdeciiaodlkppoonappfnheoi” is the name of this folder, and it is identical to the Chrome ID that is given to the extension. Whether you choose the first method or this method, the unwanted search engine will be eliminate along with the extension. Of course, we also need to discuss the automatic removal of Search Manager. As mentioned previously, this PUP might travel packaged with third-party programs, and, if they have been installed, it is a good idea to utilize an anti-malware tool to have all unreliable programs eliminated at the same time, automatically.